Weekly Blog

As a writer, I find that many things distract me. In fact, as a writer, I am a distraction.I distract myself from my Bible reading. I'm lying in bed at 6:30 A.M., staring at my Bible by lamplight. In my head, though, I'm watching a scene from one of my books, movie-style. I might have been reading about redemption and started daydreaming about cheese. The funny thing is, my brain found a way to connect them."Hey, remember that one time you ate half-moldy cheese cubes during chemistry class? That cheese was redeemed.""Cheese. What a funny word, 'cheese.' I like cheese. You know, Erik from the sequel--he's lactose intolerant. What would happen if he accidentally ate cheese? How does one accidentally eat cheese?"Me: Mom?*Mom walks into my bedroom with laundry*Me: "Mom, how does one accidentally eat cheese?"Mom: "Well, it would have to be in something that was cooked."Thanks, Mom!You know what, I think I started writing as a method of distraction. I was a kid. Life was tough. When the screaming in the living room got too loud, I went to my room and turned up the radio, then talked with my imaginary friends for a bit. Oh, I had such good times with my imaginary friends. I still do. Don't judge, it's so common they made a meme out of it.

See?Anyway, I had such good times with my imaginary friends​, pioneers and Indians and anthropomorphic deer. I loved them all so much that, when I was ten, I compiled their stories into a novel. It was stupid, but without it, I wouldn't be nearly the writer I am today, and Where the Clouds Catch Fire certainly wouldn't be as good as it is today.So yes, most distractions are bad. They take you away from what's most important. But not all of them are counterproductive, and if you can turn the thing that distracts you into a career--*insert fist pump* you've got something!What distracts you? How have you creatively turned your distractions into solutions? I'd love to hear it...maybe I can apply your advice to my Pinterest addiction. God bless you, dear reader, and have a marvelous weekend!